The use of validated antibodies are primordial for Breast Cancer research. Let’s see why, and which were the most popular ones in 2015.

Breast cancer arises in cell units whose function is to secrete milk, ducto-lobular breast units, mainly in women, with 89 cases per 100 000 (1). 5 to 10% of these cancers have an inherited genetic origin; 85-90% of cases (known as sporadic or non-hereditary) have environmental origins as yet often unidentified. A significant proportion of sporadic breast cancers is induced by hormonal treatment in women with a predisposition to this type of cancer. Some lifestyle choices (alcohol, trans fats, obesity, lack of exercise) or gynecological (late first pregnancy, not breastfeeding, etc.) also promote cancer.

If detected at an early stage, this cancer can be cured in 9 cases out of 10. Nevertheless, one of the difficulties of curing this disease is to identify the biological characteristics of each patient’s tumor.

Source: Kumar M. et al. (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2015.01.007).

The outcome of the interaction between Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and a macrophage depends on the interplay between host defense and bacterial immune subversion mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) critically regulate several host defense pathways, but their role in the Mtb-macrophage interplay remains unclear.

Recently, Kumar et al. performed a miRNA profiling, and investigated the downregulation of miR-let-7f in a manner dependent on the Mtb secreted effector ESAT-6.

Fig 1: Immune checkpoint proteins on T cells and their ligands on APCs and cancer cells

Knowledge about which epitopes are recognized by a blocking antibody can help researchers to develop improved antibodies for drug discovery and to better understand the mechanism of inhibition.

The binding of Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1), one of the receptors expressed on activated T-cells (see Figure 1), to its ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2, negatively regulates immune responses. PD-1 ligands are found on most cancers, and PD-1:PD-L1/2 interaction inhibits T cell activity and allows cancer cells to escape immune surveillance.

The first therapeutic antibodies in this field have been directed against the checkpoint receptor PD-1 (Nivolumab by Bristol Myers Squibb and Pembrolizumab by Merck/MSD). The drugs have been approved for the treatment of diverse cancer types during the past years. The PD-1:PD-L1/2 pathway is also involved in regulating autoimmune responses, making these proteins promising therapeutic targets for a number of cancers, as well as multiple sclerosis, arthritis, lupus, and type I diabetes. Further research projects in this field are rapidly evolving as scientists seek to identify the next generation of therapies especially developing therapies combining different therapeutic approaches.